


To Bring Back What we Lost

by Widows_Webs



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Family, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Endgame, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-02-04 08:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18601066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widows_Webs/pseuds/Widows_Webs
Summary: SUMMARY BELOW CONTAINS MASSIVE ENDGAME SPOILERS!Be careful! <3- - - - - - -It was over.They'd done it. They'd defeated Thanos once and for all. Stopped him from destroying everything they had. Everything was back to the way it was before.So why did it feel like they'd lost anyway?It wasn't the same without Mr Stark...It never would be.- - - - - - -But maybe there was hope... maybe there was still a chance that Peter could save the man who'd become almost a father to him over the years.And if there was a chance... it was a chance he was willing to take. No matter what the cost, they'd bring back what they lost.- - - - - - -AKAAn Endgame time travel fix-it fic, because our hearts are shattered and Marvel killed our souls





	1. A Funeral

**Author's Note:**

> _It was over._
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> _They'd done it. They'd defeated Thanos once and for all. Stopped him from destroying everything they had. Everything was back to the way it was before._
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> _So why did it feel like they'd lost anyway?_
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> _It wasn't the same without Mr Stark..._
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> _It never would be._  
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> -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
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> I SAW ENDGAME TODAY AND I AM NOT HAPPY.
> 
> don't get me wrong, it's the undoubtedly the greatest movie I've ever seen. 
> 
> But my heart literally got snapped (heheh) in two.
> 
> So this had to be written. We're gonna fix it :)

They won.

Peter had watched in awe as Thanos himself faded into dust- just like he had, what felt like only a couple of hours ago at best.

(It had actually been 5 years ago. For 5 years he'd been just dust floating across a dry barren landscape.)

Thanos was gone. The world had been saved. Peter knew he could never win- not against the avengers. God, there were so many of them now, since when had the team become so big? As they all fought as one against the mad titan, all for the same glorious purpose, Peter felt a true sense of belonging. Of family. 

So why did it feel so empty? 

Ah right. Because the one person that had brought him into this whole _mess_ in the first place had died in order to save everyone. To save everything.

Peter hadn't been there to see Mr Stark wield the infinity gauntlet- to snap his fingers, just like Thanos had, and turn their opponents into literal dust. But as soon as he heard that loud, sudden snap... he knew what it was. He knew who it was. Peter didn't know anyone else who would be brave enough; strong enough, to pull off something like that. He was in awe.

But saving the entire universe didn't go without dire consequences. He'd been by Mr Stark's side in an instant- his faced bruised and bloodied after what was, undeniably, the most intense battle of his life.

But by then it was too late.

He'd choked out his frantic last words to the hero that lay before him- the damage done by the gauntlet irreversible. Tony Stark had saved the world, at the cost of his own life.

It wasn't supposed to end like that. He wasn't supposed to die. Mr Stark was supposed to always be there- Peter had already lost so many people he cared for-people he loved. Mr Stark wasn't supposed to be one of them. Never. He was iron man, he was supposed to be _invincible._

(But then again, it had been five years since Titan. And he was only human in the end. They all were.)

Sometimes, life really likes to punch you hard in the face.

And it hurt. It really really did.

It was strange really, to Peter, just a day ago he'd been going about his life as usual- excited for a school trip which, in the end he never got to go on. Just yesterday, if you'd have told him about Thanos- about Titan, Mr Stark _dying_ right in front of him... He'd have laughed.

But then luck never really was on his side. 

\- > \- - 

They had a funeral for Mr Stark. The man who had saved the entire world from its impending annihilation. The entire universe's end.

It was eerily quiet- despite the vast amount of people that came. People that had been fighting the same battle for life against Thanos. The guardians, Strange, Captain Marvel; what was left of the original Avengers; and the others. Even Nick Fury himself was there to say goodbye to a man that the world had come to know and love as Iron Man. They were all heros that day. But none like Mr Stark.

It happened at Mr Stark's- well, what used to be- Mr Stark's home. Things had really changed since Titan. Despite being, arguably one of the richest and most influential figures of the time, Mr Stark had spent the past five years in a peaceful cabin by a lake. 

It was a tranquil, calm environment. Truly beautiful. Peter wished he could've seen it before- only under much nicer odds.

If Mr Stark were still here, maybe this house would feel more homey. 

Everyone there- there must have been at least fifty people- wore the same grim, tragic expression. Even those that never really knew the man were truly impacted by this terrible loss.

Peter knew him. He hadn't felt such agony since losing Uncle Ben. He never thought he ever would. It wasn't fair.

He couldn't imagine how hard this was for Pepper- and for Happy too, and Tony's _daughter_. He had a child- a little girl of his own; a family of his own. He couldn't have left them behind- this wasn't fair at all. And it hurt so, so much.

_Why did you have to go, Mr Stark?_

\- - > \- 

The evening of Tony Stark's funeral was deathly quiet. Most people had scattered- gone their separate ways after the service. Disappeared off to who knows where. But not Peter. 

He'd wandered off to an enclosed woodland area further down from the crystal blue lake where earlier they'd stood to remember _Tony._ He couldn't be around people. He had to look strong. He knew he was moments away from breaking down, and that scared him. It was just like Titan all over again and he couldn't do it. He couldn't. Not without Mr Stark.

He wasn't ready to do this alone.

He hadn't shed a single tear- it all felt too numb. It didn't feel real. But whatever happened, he had to look strong- he couldn't let Mr Stark down. _Even though he wasn't here._. 

(And he never would be again.)

Peter had disappointed him before. He wouldn't let it happen again. Never again.

He was sure he was alone until the pressure of a hand on his shoulder shook him out of his bubble of solitude.

He felt his body tense up as he looked up at his confronter. It was a man who, seemed oddly familiar, he just couldn't place where from. He'd been at the battle earlier- the battle where Mr Stark had... yeah. He too wore the same sad expression that everyone else had- his hair all over the place from the fight. His face showed the faint remainders of healing bruises and wounds. His eyes looked almost ghostly, and empty. He'd lost a lot too in the past few days.

(They all had.)

"Hey, kid," the use of the nickname sparked something inside of him, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold back. He had to get out of here- he couldn't do this, not now, he couldn't- "You're the spider kid right? From Germany? You've got some good moves."

Germany. Oh yeah. That was so long ago. That was when he first met Mr Stark. Or rather, when Mr Stark found him- needed his help. Peter hadn't felt so useful in a long time. He got to fight with the avengers- with his heros. They were fighting but... compared to this... Peter would have liked to go back to then. Before everything seemed so black and white, so painful.

When he didn't respond, the guy went on, "I don't think we've formally met- I'm Clint Barton, or you probably know me as Hawkeye."

Hawkeye? No way, he was talking to- being comforted by Hawkeye himself? Any other day, Peter would have been freaking out over just how cool this was. Even though he was _technically_ an Avenger himself, that didn't take away from how awesome it was to be meeting one for the first time.

It's a shame it wasn't under any other circumstance. Peter felt bad, but it couldn't be helped really. _Mr Stark was gone._ it didn't feel real. It couldn't be real. But it was. Why did this have to happen?

(When you can do the things I do, and the bad things happen... they happen because of you.)

"You know, there was a time when after a battle like this we'd have a really extravagant celebration. Really just let loose and get to know eachother." He let out a humourless laugh, "God, what I'd give to go back to those times."

Peter felt himself nodding in agreement. He felt like they should be happy, as saving he entire universe wasn't exactly a minor feat. It was definitely celebration-worthy. But he knew none of them were feeling that way. Without Mr Stark- it just wasn't right. He'd always been there, so why did he have to go away?

"You know, it's really tough. I don't think any of us are gonna really get over this: we've all lost people today." He paused for a second with a sigh, in an attempt to hold himself together. "But I know they'd by happy. We did what we had to do, Spiderman, and even though it's tough... It's what they would have wanted."

Peter didn't realised he'd started sobbing until the words coming out of his mouth sounded warbled and broken, like a malfunctioning machine. "It's just- I don't- I don't get why Mr S-Stark had to g-go. I want him to c-come back m-mr Barton. I can't d-do this without hi-him."

If him breaking down in tears in front of Hawkeye made the man feel uncomfortable then he didn't show it, instead moving his hand from Peter's shoulder onto his back where he rubbed it in comforting motions. 

"I know, kid, I know. I lost my best friend today. I know it feels daunting but we can get through this. Stark- _Tony_ wouldn't want you to feel this way."

"Y-you're right," Peter choked back a sob, "He'd tell me t-to get my a-act together and move on. B-but I can't! And I-" he gritted his teeth together, "-I've already l-lost s-so much of my family... h-he was always s-supposed to be there..." His voice reduced down to a whisper, "He was l-like a father to m-me. And he's- he's _gone._ I can't do this- I can't-"

He wasn't sure when exactly he ended up on the ground, but he could feel his vision dizzying and blurring with every passing moment. Hawkeye was there too- trying to do something about the panicking teenager before him. God, this was so embarrassing. Why was he doing this in front of Hawkeye himself? Why- why-

(Because he was alone.)

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay." Barton's voice was gentle against the bitter cold air outside around them, and it was almost comforting; except for how what he was saying wasn't true. And Peter didn't wasn't any more fake, empty promises filling up his life. Why couldn't everything actually _be_ okay for once? Why was it so hard? 

Ever since he'd had his first breath things had gone wrong for him, and gotten worse and worse. Why wouldn't the world just give him a break for once?

And before he knew it, everything around him was getting darker and darker. Hawkeye was saying something else to him, but he couldn't figure out what exactly. He felt his eyes close, as he finally gave into the exhaustion. He didn't want to wake up. Maybe he'd even see Mr Stark here. He could always hope, couldn't he?

(It was the only thing he could do.)

\- - - >

When Peter came to, he wasn't in the woodland area with Hawkeye. He wasn't cold, shivering and crying; rather his body was surrounded by a cosy warmth which didn't feel right given what had happened just a few days ago. He wasn't supposed to feel warm.

(Not when Mr Stark would never feel again.)

Taking in his surroundings, he noticed that someone had laid him down on a couch, in a small warm room- with various bookshelves and photographs adorning it. A large fireplace crackling in the middle, providing some sort of material heat to this emotionally cold world.

Was this... Mr Stark's house?

He hadn't actually gone inside before, and looking around now, the sadder this whole situation felt. It didn't feel right to be here, he couldn't be here. This was where Mr Stark had spent the last five years and Peter Parker certainly wasn't welcome. Or he didn't feel like he was.

It was too soon, he didn't want to be here; surrounded by things reminding him of the person he'd just lost. He couldn't do this. He had to get out of here.

Mustering together all his strength, he forced his body up as he scrambled out of the lakeside cabin. His body was still stiff and in pain from fighting the battle, but he had to get out of there as soon as possible, so he pushed forward and got out as soon as he could.

Standing outside, he saw that it was probably midday. He must have slept longer than he meant to- not that he meant to sleep at all. He'd had a long day- a long past few days even. Sleeping had been hard, but apparently his body decided to force it on him.

He just needed some air. 

He noticed, rather quickly what seemed to be a small gathering of Avengers. He noticed the Hulk was there- or was it professor hulk now? God, that was so cool. He noticed Hawkeye was there too, despite feeling kinda awkward about the previous night, it was still really awesome to see him there. And Captain America too, as well as a couple of his friends- Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Peter didn't really know them all that well, but he knew they'd been friends with Tony, and they'd fought in that epic battle together as well. It was an experience he doubted he'd ever forget.

Mr Rogers was carrying a briefcase and as Peter made his way closer he began to pick up certain words from their conversation. Words like 'Infinity Stones' and 'Time Travel' and-

Wait a second... time travel? 

"Hey! Wait!" 

The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he found himself suddenly gaining all the adrenaline in the world as he dashed towards them.

The Captain turned round to him, with the ghost of a smile on his face. He still seemed upset from the funeral. Peter couldn't get over that- he felt like they all were. "Queens, it's good to see you."

"You're- you're time traveling right?" Peter hadn't heard the whole story about the reversal of the snap, rather he'd heard snippets about it from various conversations between others- Hank Pym and Antman mostly. 

Rogers nodded, his expression one of true business. "I'm bringing the stones back to where they belong. Saving the fate of other timelines" 

So it was true. He was going back in time. But then... didn't that mean...

"Mr Rogers, sir, if it's no trouble, I- uhm... can I come with you?"

**To be continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And scene!
> 
> It's gonna be a time travel fic lol so please forgive me if my terminology sucks, if only because I'm an emotional wreck and have been since Marvel decided to kill off my two favourite avengers.
> 
> Literally.
> 
> If anyone wants to rant about it with me just lemme know XP
> 
> Also tell me your thoughts in the comments cause I'm high key scared this is gonna be shit lol


	2. An idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Please..." Peter added, his voice merely reduced to the ghost of a whisper.
> 
> "You really won't take no for an answer, huh kid?" A small smile appeared on Dr Banner's lips, "You're just like Tony."
> 
> "They'd do the same for any of us." Steve added, a smile forming on his own lips. "We owe it to them to try." 
> 
> They always had hope.

"Mr Rogers, sir, if it's no trouble, I- uhm... can I come with you?"

"Sorry?" Steve's eyes widened in shock, "What do you mean, come with me?"

"I uh, I wanna go to the past too. If that's no trouble, sir." Peter tried to speak confidently, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. Because he was talking to _Steve Rogers_ himself and that on it's own was shocking. Let alone asking to come on a death-defying quest through time with him.

The super soldier seemed puzzled as to why exactly this random kid from Queens wanted to come with him. "Why do you want to come?" 

"You can't bring him back, kid," a deeper voice broke in through the silence. The voice of Bruce Banner- or rather, Professor Hulk, now. "Time doesn't work that way. If it did, well, we'd already be working on it." He grimaced slightly, remembering something he'd rather was kept away.

The pieces seemed to fall into place in Steve's mind. "Queens, you're just a kid. You can't do this, you'll die." Steve shook his head, "It's too dangerous."

"But I at least have to try. I have to bring him back." Peter could feel his voice cracking as sadness tried to push through. He couldn't cry in front of any more avengers. He had to stay strong, he had to fight for this. "He'd do the same for any one of us. I know it."

"But kid, it's impossible. There's no way we can do that without damaging another timeline..." Bruce's voiced trailed off in what could only be sadness. He hadn't wanted to let go either. None of them did.

Even though Steve had had his differences with Tony in the past, Peter could tell that he too missed him a lot. "Our Tony's gone."

The blunt statement didn't exactly help Peter. It couldn't be right- Iron Man couldn't die. He couldn't be gone. It just didn't feel real, and he supposed it never would. "But we don't know it's impossible. I'm sorry Mr Rogers- and Dr Banner, but up until a few days ago I'm sure none of us thought time travel was possible."

"He's not wrong, you know..." He heard the Falcon- Sam, mutter to Steve under his breath.

"I have to at least try. I just need one chance. You have to let me do this- I couldn't- I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."

"Kid's got heart" Clint nodded in his direction. _Hawkeye himself was on his side._

"He does." Sighed the Captain, "He reminds me of Tony." 

"But that doesn't change the fact that we can't bring anyone back." Bruce added mournfully, "We can't make a future where they don't die."

"We don't know that." Peter argued, "If you can use time travel to stop... Thanos'- Thanos' snap, we can use it to save a couple of lifes."

"I wish that were true, kid."

"Dr Banner, please- just, at least let me go back and talk to him. I have to see him- it's- I miss him." Peter felt tears building up in his eyes. He wasn't ready to say goodbye. He couldn't do this.

"C'mon Banner, we might as well give him this." Hawkeye placed a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder, "Besides, he's right. We don't know what's possible or impossible."

"Please..." Peter added, his voice merely reduced to the ghost of a whisper.

"You really won't take no for an answer, huh kid?" A small smile appeared on Dr Banner's lips, "You're just like Tony."

"They'd do the same for any of us." Steve added, a smile forming on his own lips. "We owe it to them to try." 

They always had hope.

\- > \- - 

"So you're going to try this? You're going to bring them back?" Clint asked to Steve, from his new position sitting on the grass next to Peter.

"That's right. We're gonna figure something out. The stones need to go back, but once we're in the past we might be able to change things."

"Then I'm coming too." 

"You're sure you want to?" Steve looked serious, "This isn't going to be easy Barton. And you know that success isn't guaranteed."

"You said it yourself. We owe it to them to at least try: I owe it to her."

"Guys I still think this is too risky," Bruce- _Professor Hulk_ spoke up, "We can't lose anyone else."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Steve stood next to his old, green friend, "We're not gonna die. And we'll save them- we'll save her."

The two of them engaged in quiet conversation next to the _time machine_ and while Peter knew he could easily listen to every single word they were saying, he decided to respect their privacy. It was one of the only things they had left.

"Mr Barton?"

"Hey kid, what's up? And it's Clint- you don't have to be so formal with me." The archer spoke with a reassuring and calm voice, but Peter could tell that below that exterior he was genuinely afraid.

(They all were)

"I'm really sorry about what happened last night," Peter couldn't face him as he worked his way through the apology, looking down at the soft, vibrant grass below him. 

"What do you mean?" Peter could tell from his voice that Mr Barton- no, _Clint_ was confused, but he didn't dare look up, "Oh wait- last night? No, no, no that wasn't your fault. Trust me, every single one of us was absolutely devastated; and we still are. That's why we're doing this. But you're a strong kid and, God, don't worry."

"And it's just that, awh, the first time I met Hawkeye I went and screwed up. Never gonna forgive myself for that." 

He heard Clint let out a chuckle at his statement, which was confusing, but then the archer spoke up again, "Don't sweat it kiddo. I've made worst first impressions on people in the past." 

Peter felt a faint smile begin to form. Even though he had embarrased himself, it could have gone a lot worse.

"Hey, look at me kid," Peter wiped the tears slowly appearing in his eyes as he focused his gaze on the man, "Maybe I didn't know Stark all that well, but I do know that he'd be proud of you right now. He couldn't not be. And hey, thanks to you we get to go on another time heist. Just know, whatever happens, you're not gonna let him down. I don't think you ever could if you tried."

Peter felt his smile growing, "Thanks Mr- Clint. Yeah, thanks, Clint. It means a lot. We'll get them back."

"We will kiddo, we will."

A moment of comfortable silenced passed between them, as Steve and Bruce continued their serious conversation across from them. Maybe they were talking about how they were gonna pull this off. Peter hadn't exactly been through time before, so they knew what was going on better than he did. 

He just hoped they could do this. They had to.

"Hey kid, can I ask you a question?"

"Y-yeah, what's up?" Peter tried to have a calm, chill air like Clint, but apparently he wasn't capable of pulling that off without stuttering.

"I never got a name from you earlier" he said coolly.

"Oh, I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

"Well it's nice to meet you Pete," Clint held out a hand, and Peter was pulled into a strong, well meaning handshake. "I'm Clint."

\- - > \- 

Steve made his way across the grass towards them, his expression bursting with resolve. They'd found a way. It was going to happen.

"Bruce and I were talking, and I think we've found a way we can save them."

"You mean we can definitely pull this off?" Clint asked as evenly as he could, "No setbacks, it's gonna work?"

"Well that's the plan." Nodded the soldier, "We need a day to get everything sorted though. We need more Pym Particles; but since Hank Pym himself _is_ back in action, that shouldn't be a problem. Bruce's gonna pull on some strings and get some from him. Nobody's getting stuck back in time on my watch."

Peter felt himself nodding along to what the captain was saying- even though he didn't fully understand why they needed the particles, he knew he'd heard about them before; and if he had to do anything, it was trust that the captain knew what he was doing.

"That's fair. So we're going tomorrow then?"

"That's right. We meet right here, this time tomorrow. Make sure you're well rested."

"Easy." Clint said composedly. 

Peter nodded. It wasn't exactly _easy_ but he'd try his best. Getting a full night's sleep wasn't going to be the hardest challenge he'd face, and he had to do this for Mr Stark. He had to bring him home.

"We're going to take it slow. No point splitting up and rushing everything this time, we're gonna get the job done right." Rogers spoke with a serious tone, but he didn't speak heartlessly. It was obvious he cared tremendously, and was looking out for everyone.

"And you're bringing the stones with you? Leaving them back where they came from?" Clint asked.

"That's right. We'll only take one tomorrow. It's gonna be tough, but it'll work." 

"Wh-where are we going tomorrow?" Peter's voice came out softly compared to Steve's, and he inwardly cringed at how the sound was in comparison. Clint gave him a consoling pat on the back though, which was nice.

"Vormir."

Clint tensed up ever-so-slightly, "You mean, that's where-"

"That's right Clint. We won't leave without her."

"How do you know she'll still be there?" He asked, his calm air from before fading, "How do you know she won't die again?" His teeth were gritted, as he tried to hold in emotions locked away. "She wasn't supposed to _die_ Rogers. It was supposed to be me, she was never meant to-"

"Barton." Steve's voice was firm. "We have to fight for her. We're going to bring her back."

"But what if there isn't a way?" Clint was persistent, "Even if we do go back in time and stop her from jumping, that will ruin other timelines." Clint was in distress, Peter could see his eyes going crazy with guilt. This wasn't his fault. Whatever he'd had to experience there must've been horribly traumatic.

(He wondered if it was as bad as when he watched Mr Stark die right in front of him. Powerless to do anything to stop it.)

"But that's the thing... the soul stone, it's not like the others. If it's the key to getting her back- to getting both of them back; we need to understand it. You need to tell me what you saw in Vormir. Every detail. Then we'll head back there tomorrow and fix this."

"Right. I can do that Cap. If it means bringing her back, you know I won't hesitate to do anything." Clint smiled; but it was a sad sort of smile, as if he was remembering something that only hurt.

"Mr Rogers, sir?" Peter asked after a moment of heavy silence radiated between the group, "I was just wondering, uh, we're gonna save Mr Stark too, right?"

"We'll get him back, son." Steve nodded, as confidently as he could given the circumstances. "The soul stone is different. We don't know much about it, but what we do know is that it essentially devours life. If we can figure out how to use it, we might be able to use it to save both of them."

Peter nodded, ignoring the slight wave of sadness slowly trying to overcome him. He needed Mr Stark to come back, and while he understood the Captain's reasoning; he couldn't help but doubt. What if it wasn't as easy as they hoped?

_What if he couldn't be saved?_

"It's alright Pete." Clint gave him a gentle smile, having composed himself after his slight panic. "We're gonna do this. If we could bring back half the universe, we can bring back a couple friends. We just need to get a plan together."

"So we're- we're meeting back here tomorrow right?" Peter double checked as they stood up. 

"That's right. We'll see you then, soldier." Steve gave him an affirming nod- and Peter could have sworn he saw a smile in there too; as the two of them walked away together, presumably to talk about Vormir.

They really were gonna do it. They were gonna bring them back.

And Peter felt a genuine smile appear on his lips for the first time in what felt like too long. It was going to be tough, but they were going to do this. They were going to bring back what they lost.

\- - - >

Peter had made his way back to the house, having been told by Happy that he was _more than welcome to stay as long as he needed, because the boss wouldn't have had it any other way._ He felt bad, really bad about doing this; but he kept trying to tell himself that since he was going to save Tony the first chance he got, it'd be okay if he stayed in the man's house just another night.

It wasn't long until he felt another presence enter the room he was standing in- the one with the fireplace and bookshelves.

He turned around to be met with the familiar face of Pepper Potts- or was it Pepper Stark now...? He'd met the woman several times back before Thanos, and found himself really coming to like her- she was pleasant and patient (always a good quality when you're dealing with Tony Stark.)

"Peter... Bruce said you were planning on saving Tony. Is that... true?" She spoke softly, devastated- quite probably even more devastated than he was- after the death of the love of her life. Her husband.

"Hey, yeah we um- we're gonna try and use the time travel tech. We wanna bring him and uh, black widow back."

"Oh sweetie, you have to be careful. Don't risk your life, we've already lost so much." She almost whispered as she spoke, sounding genuinely terrified at the idea of even more death.

"I'll be fine, it's um, I'll be with Captain Rogers and Mr Barton- uh, Clint. It's just, I feel like I owe it to him at least to try y'know? He did so much for me and... I-I hardly even properly thanked him for it."

Pepper moved closer to him before gently pulling him into a hug, "That's not true Peter: for the five years you were gone, Tony missed you every single day. Just being in his life before was enough of a thanks for him. He really cared about you- you know." She smiled into the embrace. "He sacrificed himself to save every single one of us," she held back a sob before continuing, "And he was so happy to see you come back." She spoke the last part in a whisper.

"It's just- I don't know h-how I could go on without him. He was n-never supposed to die, Mrs Potts." 

"He died a hero, Peter." Pepper whispered, "And even- even if we never get to see him again, he'll always be one in our hearts."

Peter hadn't noticed they were both crying until she used a hand to rub tears out of his eyes. "We're both such a mess," she tried to smile through her misery, "I don't know what we're going to do." She sniffled.

"We're- we're going to save him Mrs Potts. He'll b-be back before you know it." He spoke as strongly as he could, despite the violent sobbing and tears. If he could convince even himself that they were going to bring Mr Stark back, then that'd be an achievement.

(Because he didn't know what they'd do if they couldn't save him.)

**To be continued**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _They're gonna start time travelling next chapter!_
> 
>  
> 
> Please leave a comment saying what you thought, or if you just wanna rant about the end of endgame with me! As an author, comments really mean a lot to me and they really help motivate me to keep going!
> 
> I love all of you for reading!


	3. A Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Alright, I say it's time we get this show on the road." Said Clint, as the anticipation around them grew. "We all good to go, Bruce?"
> 
>  
> 
> "I'd say so." The scientist nodded in confirmation, "Be careful guys."
> 
>  
> 
> Peter felt his entire body begin to tremble in what was either fear, or excitement. (But most likely some kind of mix of both.) It was time to save what they'd lost; and he realised that this was probably one of the most important things he'd ever do in his life. He couldn't afford to screw this up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna say thanks for the overwhelming support on this story! Over 2000 hits already, and so many of you have left kudos and commented here. It really helps my confidence with this story and I love you all so much! Every single one of you is awesome, and I couldn't do this without you. Thanks for heading on this journey with me :P

Peter woke up that morning to see a small figure staring at him. 

He nearly fell off the couch in shock. _Nearly,_ being the key word, thank God.

But despite himself tensing up a little, he didn't feel particularly unsafe in their presence. After allowing a second for his eyes to properly wake up, he noticed it was a little girl who couldn't be much older than the age of five.

Ah, so this was Mr Stark's daughter.

They hadn't actually met, given the horrible tragedy that took place only a few days ago. If Mr Stark's death was hard for Peter, he couldn't imagine how much worse it was for her. Mr Stark was her father.

(But he'd been a father to Peter anyway.)

"Oh, good morning." he spoke as softly and gently as he could- understanding that she had suffered such a tremendous loss.

"Hi," Her voice was quiet and timid sounding; but Peter could imagine she was just as smart as her father had been. "Um; I've seen you before. You're in photos with my daddy."

Photos? Did that mean Mr Stark had pictures of them in his house? "I am?" Peter couldn't help the surprised expression that made its way onto his face. "Uh, I mean, yeah- yeah I am. That's me." He rubbed his tired eyes, "I-I'm Peter by the way. I knew your dad before you were even born." 

He felt himself smile a little, but it didn't particularly feel like a _happy_ smile. In the five years that had passed, Mr Stark had essentially build himself a family. Meanwhile Peter had been ash floating through the atmosphere. He didn't even know he was dead. It was strange.

"You don't look very old." She noted, "My daddy was much older than you."

"Yeah, he was- Mr Stark was kinda my mentor I guess." She looked a little confused, so he tried to elaborate a little so a five year old could understand, "He taught me things, you know?"

"He _was_ very, very smart." She said, a small sad smile gracing her lips. "My name's Morgan."

"It's great to finally meet you, Morgan," he said as cheerfully as he could manage, "Your dad was a good man- he loved you a lot, you know." 

Maybe Peter wasn't there to see Mr Stark stumble through raising a child, but he didn't doubt for a second that the man would have been an amazing- if not, _the best_ father a kid could ask for. He knew that for a fact.

"I know he did. He loved me 3000." She murmured softly. She was being as strong as she could, and it hurt to watch a small child go through this. Peter knew, because the same thing had happened to him. Three times now.

"Morgan-" he spoke as comfortingly as he could without falling apart himself- trying to use the same kind of voice that Mr Stark had when he felt down.

(That was 6 years ago now.)

"-I know firsthand what it's like to- to lose someone you love. I lost both of my parents when I was the same age as you... and then I lost my uncle not long after." _And then I lost someone else I really, really loved just a few days ago._ "So if, uhm, if you ever want to talk, y'know, I'm- uh, I'm always here. Cause I understand." He gave her the best smile he could despite the tears he could feel forming in his eyes.

God, how many times had he cried since he'd come back? He was supposed to be stronger; if he hadn't gone and _died_ he'd be an adult by now. But here he was acting like a two year old. Even Morgan was stronger than he was- and she'd lost someone she'd known and loved for her entire life.

"It's okay Peter." She said gently, "I'm okay. But thank you." The tears in her eyes seemed to contradict that, but Peter knew not to push it. She'd talk about it when she was ready. She was only 5.

She then smiled back at him, and Peter realised that her smile was the same as Mr Stark's. He had to save him; whatever it took to preserve that smile.

"Oh, yeah, um," she quickly rubbed tears out of her eyes, "I came here to tell you that Captain America was looking for you."

That meant it was time. They were gonna do it. It was time for him to be a hero.

(He had to make Me Stark proud.)

"R-right. Thanks, I'll uh, see you later then." He said, trying to ignore how awkward he sounded as he made his way to the door across the room, all while feeling her childlike gaze on him.

Just as his hand was on the doorknob, she spoke up again, "Hey Peter?"

"Y-yeah, what's up?" He spoke as strongly as he could, trying to look brave in front of the little girl.

"Are you bringing my daddy home?"

The innocence embedded in her words was almost nauseating, and Peter suddenly felt a wave of guilt crash upon him. What if it didn't work out? What if they _couldn't_ save them? If they couldn't save _him?_

No. He wouldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to let any more people down. He was going to bring Mr Stark home to his daughter no matter what it took.

"I am, sweetheart. I am."

\- > \- -

He made his way over to the place from yesterday as quickly as he could, only to find that he was still the last one to get there. The Avengers were early risers apparently.

(They were all eager and determined to get this over with.)

They had left the time machine equipment assembled overnight, and Captain Rogers, Dr Banner and Clint were all standing around it in their typical Avengers style. If it weren't for the fact that they'd suffered such horrible loss, Peter might have been freaking out a little over just how cool this was.

As he got closer, Clint noticed him and jogged over to meet him halfway. "Peter! It's good to see you kiddo! Did you sleep well?"

He actually had slept well for once. That was two nights in a row now, practically a record. He supposed it was all the excitement from the past few days wearing him out. He gave Clint a nod, "I'm ready to do this."

"That's the spirit! We'll have them back before you know it and we can go and act like nothing even happened."

"Sounds like a plan." Peter agreed. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner Mr Stark would actually be back.

They reached the time machine after a short moment, and there Captain Rogers greeted them while Dr Banner was still tweaking the machine. "Queens, it's good to see you. Did Clint get you up to speed? Do you know what we're doing?

"Uhm, not really. I mean- well, what's the plan?" Peter tried as hard as he could to act cool in the presence of this international- in fact, universal, hero, but it wasn't exactly easy.

"We're going back to Vormir, in 2014: when Clint and Natasha got the soul stone. That's when we're gonna bring it back to where it belongs, but not before asking it's keeper a few questions." He spoke earnestly, showing just how much he and Clint had thought about this in the past 24 hours.

"If anyone knows how to use it it's gonna be him. Even though he was a bit of an ass, we won't leave without them." Clint nodded. 

"Sounds good." Peter smiled as confidently as he could. "Let's bring them back."

"Just let's not forget this is gonna be dangerous." Steve added with a grave tone, "We've already lost someone on Vormir-"

Peter noticed Clint grimace out of the corner of his eye.

"- so it's alright if you want to sit this one out. Nobody will think any lesser of you for it; in fact, if it weren't for you we probably wouldn't even be trying." The look on Steve's face showed his worry and gratitude. He didn't want to lose anyone else, and he was equally determined to save Tony and Natasha.

"No, no- Mr Rogers, it's fine. Really, I have to do this. I'll be careful; besides, I'm going with _Captain America_ and _Hawkeye._ I think I'll be alright."

"Yeah, grow a spine Rogers, the kid's tougher than he seems." Clint spoke confidently, but Peter could sense a trace of fear in his words. He wanted to get this over with and have his friends back as soon as possible.

(They all did.)

\- - > -

In order to time travel, they all had to wear specially made suits, and use some of the coolest equipment Peter had honestly ever seen.

(It was the last thing that Mr Stark had ever invented.)

Once they were all in the suits, everything suddenly felt so much more real, and Peter couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine. They really were about to do this. They were about to go through time- into space- and they were going to bring people back to life.

It all sounded like a sci-fi film. But it was all completely real. But he wasn't scared. In fact, he was more than ready to do this.

Okay. Maybe he was a little scared. But it was going to be fine.

They stood, positioned on the base of the machine while Dr Banner stood at the control panel, ready to send them all back. "Don't be reckless guys." He said, "I need you all back in one piece."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. We're all prepared, nothings gonna go wrong." Clint spoke, his voice flooding with determination. 

"We'll bring them back Bruce." Steve shot him one of his famous _Captain America_ smiles which always seemed to help ease any kind of burden.   
Just not today. Because as much as they were ready, and determined to do this... there was still the fear that this could easily go wrong.

But they didn't mention that. The less you think about it, the better everything turns out. More or less, anyway.

"Alright, I say it's time we get this show on the road." Said Clint, as the anticipation around them grew. "We all good to go, Bruce?"

"I'd say so." The scientist nodded in confirmation, "Be careful guys."

Peter felt his entire body begin to tremble in what was either fear, or excitement. (But most likely some kind of mix of both.) It was time to save what they'd lost; and he realised that this was probably one of the most important things he'd ever do in his life. He couldn't afford to screw this up.

(Not anymore than he had already.)

"You're going to Vormir 2014 in 3..." Bruce began the countdown.

Steve and Clint both turned to look at him, each of them wearing the same 'we can do this' expression. They had to do this. It was all going to work out.

"2..." 

Peter felt himself subconsciously clench his fists. This was it.

"1..."

And then, everything turned black.

\- - - >

When Peter finally came to, he noticed that they were definitely _not_ on Earth anymore. 

The planet had a purply atmosphere. The sky dusted with clouds in a strong, pink hue. They had landed on bumpy sandy ground, and in the distance stood a tall, rocky, imposing mountain that almost seemed to be staring into them.

Peter genuinely felt afraid. Everything felt so much more intense now that they were here- in the past, on an alien plant that was probably millions of light years away from home.

"God, I can't say I missed being here." Clint muttered under his breath, as he stood up and steadied himself. 

"It doesn't look like the kind of place you'd miss." Peter nodded quietly.

"The quicker we get out of here the better." Clint sighed, as he motioned towards the mountain, "First we have to climb that monstrosity." 

Because of course they did.

The three of them begun to trek across the sand in relative silence. It would be a lie to say that they all felt confident and brave- being on an alien planet seemed to create a general sense of unease.

(Especially for Peter, since the last time he'd gone into space he'd turned into dust.)

"I really hope this works, Rogers." Clint murmured after a while.

"It will. Don't worry, we're gonna get them back." The soldier spoke in a calm reassuring voice, but Peter knew that was all probably a mask. None of them knew this was definitely going to work for sure. But they had to go with it. 

"How did she die?" Asked Steve, In a quiet voice that was almost completely out of character for the super soldier; normally a confident leader.

"How did she die-?" Clint repeated, almost tripping over a rock as he carried on walking, " _What kinda question is that?_ "

The general atmosphere immediately plummeted. 

"Well, I just felt that considering we were her friends we should know how she... died." Steve eventually said, carefully, with a strong sense of sadness in his voice. "I didn't mean to cross any boundaries Clint-"

"-No it's not that." The archer was quick to interrupt, "I don't exactly want to talk about it. 'Specially in front of the kid. You'll probably find out when we get to the top of this dammed thing, anyway though." He sighed, and Peter wished there was something he could do to cheer his new found friend up.

Maybe there was.

"Clint, it's uh, it's alright. We won't leave her behind." He shot a reassuring smile at the archer, who was quick to return the gesture.

"Thanks Pete. I'm looking forward to you getting to meet her." The man said in a friendly tone, "You two would get on well."

"I agree. You remind me of her" Steve said from ahead of them. "Tasha never gave up once she put her mind to something."

Peter felt himself blush. It wasn't everyday that a couple of Avenger told you you were like _another_ Avenger. He couldn't help but smile a little, despite the situation. It helped ease the burden of it a little.

They travelled in silence for a little longer. The journey was a long and tiresome one, but they all powered through; they were doing this for Tony and Natasha after all.

They'd nearly reached the top of the mountain, when Steve spoke up again, "Where is the keeper?"

"He's right at the top." Clint sighed, "Absolute creep, that guy. It's like Satan and the grim reaper had a baby." 

"I don't doubt that. Seems fitting for a place like this." Muttered Steve.

They reached an area where the path up the mountain seemed to have gotten wider, and it was then that they noticed a figure standing- or rather, hovering, slightly ahead of them.

It must be the keeper of the soulstone.

Peter noticed that Clint wasn't exaggerating at all in his description of the guy, and if anything he'd held back. The withered cloak covering his body was as black as a hellish nightmare. When he turned around to look at the group, they were met with a skull instead of a face. It was a death-like red, and his eyes were voids into an abyss of the end.

Basically, he was very unpleasant indeed to look at.

"Welcome back, Clint, son of Edith." The keeper's voice sounded deathly and gravelling, as he spoke "And welcome Peter, son of Richard."

Peter stiffened at the sound of his father's name- a name he hadn't heard in a really, _really_ long time. How did this- this _guy_ know that name? 

"And, ah, welcome Steve Rogers... son of Joseph." The creature actually snarled as he said Steve's name. "It has been a long, long time. _Captain America._ "

The keeper smiled what was quite possibly the most evil smile Peter had seen in his life. It caused him to shudder, because this guy was definitely the stuff of nightmares. Peter turned to look at Steve who stood staring at the keeper with an unreadable expression. His eyes looked capable of turning him into stone.

"Steve, you alright over there?" Clint asked, gruffly.

Peter was doubtful that Steve even heard; his sights were set on the demonic creature before him who, presumably, he'd met at some point before. He stood, seemingly staring right through the keeper for an eternity before finally speaking in a low voice.

"Give us back our friends."

**To be continued.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kids!
> 
> It's all about to go down. The next chapter should be pretty intense, so prepare yourselves.
> 
> By the way~
> 
> If anyone's interested, I set up an MCU fanpage on Instagram the other day- so if anyone wants to talk/ rant there about Endgame or anything marvel related don't be afraid to do so!   
> I'd love to get to know some of you readers better :p just lemme know you came from Ao3! 
> 
> So feel free to add me - - - > Aveggies_Assemble
> 
> Also, please lemme know what you thought of this chapter. Your comments have really been motivating me, and I make sure to reply to every one of you! Love you all :)
> 
> And on that note, I'll see y'all soon for the next chapter!


	4. A showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You- I should have killed you long ago." The skull spoke, hatred evident in his deathly voice. As he rose upwards once again, only to be knocked backwards even further by Mjolnir.
> 
> "I thought that's what I did to you." Steve replied darkly; his face showing his clear frustration and anger. His teeth gritted as he tried his hardest to hold back.
> 
> And at that moment, Steve Rogers snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for taking like a month to update this! Life has been so hectic, and exams have been awful. But I'm not going to bore you all with my excuses.
> 
> For anyone who still is reading this, I hope you enjoy the next chapter! I promise I won't leave you all hanging like that again. Summer's here, and finally I have time to breathe again <33
> 
> Please enjoy!!

"Give us back our friends."

"Your mind is still as weak and naïve as it was an eternity ago, Captain. You haven't changed in the slightest." The blood red creature hissed lowly.

Steve seemed to glare into the Red Skull's eyes for an eternity. His gaze only screaming rage and hate for the creature before him.

When he spoke, his voice came out as a low growl, unlike anything Peter had ever heard the man say in the, albeit short, time that he'd known him. "How... how are you alive? I killed you- _I watched you die._ "

The skull's voice was gravely and death-like, "There's a lot of things you don't know _Captain._ What you do know doesn't even scratch the surface."

"Ninety years ago I put an end to you." Steve said, clearly trying to calm his building anger. "I stopped you- why are you here-!?" 

"I'd ask the same for you, but alas, I already know, Captain." The skull spoke venomously. "I'm cursed with knowledge, and I've been watching you rather closely."

"-Excuse me, you've been watching us?" Clint cut in, "Our lives aren't some kind of reality show, that's not cool man." 

The archer's attempt at lightening the atmosphere went ignored by both Steve and Red Skull. Peter could tell Clint was obviously burning with hatred for the skull too- he'd lost his best friend the last time he was here.

Peter sat in uncertain silence watching the cold glares forming upon Steve and Red Skull's faces. Never did he ever imagine he'd witness a confirmation like this.

But he hoped Steve could be careful. The Red Skull certainly seemed like he meant business.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Give us back out friends." Steve growled assertively. "I'm not scared to fight you again."

"Oh but you are... you fear me, I can tell." The red creature taunted, with a smirk that could even rival one of Tony's, making its way onto his face. "You never really got over me- and now you know you never even destroyed me. It must feel sad, knowing HYDRA was victorious."

"That's a lie." Rogers argued. "You're scum."

"Perhaps." The skull's smirk grew, "But you, Captain.. you are nothing."

The building tension was cut as an arrow was fired by Clint, landing directly behind Red Skull, on a mountain of rocks. "Next time I'll hit you." Clint said, a frown plastered on his face. "Give us back our friends, asshole." 

"Leave it, Barton." Steve turned round to face Clint. Peter saw his face up close- the anger residing in his eyes seemed to burn like a flame. He really, really hated this guy, huh? "This fight's between me and him."

"At least lemme help Rogers, c'mon man it'll be like old times." Clint tried to persuade Steve, but the answer he got was only a firm head shake. 

"You make sure the kid doesn't get hurt. I've got a history with Red Skull. It's my duty as a soldier to take him down." 

Peter wanted to argue _excuse me, Spider-Man doesn't need protection,_ but as he opened his mouth Clint silently shook his head. "This is Steve's battle Pete. I guess we might as well give it to him."

Steve nodded in confirmation, seeing they understood what he wanted- what he needed: before returning to his place in front of the skull. He stood defensively, Mjolnir tightly gripped in his fist. 

"You won't bring them back, Captain." The skull spoke slyly, "and i'll never tell you how."

\- > \- -

At that moment, the anger building up in Steve's eyes seemed to peak, and he instantly charged towards the Red Skull without any slight hesitation. The world seemed to stop spinning around them. Time seemed to freeze.

Steve, holding onto Mjolnir with his full strength launched the hammer towards the skull's face which caused his opponent to grunt viciously as he was heaved backwards, landing roughly on the cold rocky ground behind him. He gripped onto the rocks as he tried to recover, "I see you've upgraded your arsenal, Rogers. Luckily, I've had an eternity to prepare myself for our showdown." He viciously spat the word 'showdown,' as if it was a curse- venom on his tongue.

Peter and Clint watched in shock as the battle begun to unfold before them. The Skull practically bounced up from where he'd landed and scurried towards Steve- who spun Mjolnir around and used it like an axe as he slammed it forcefully against the skull, inhaling shakily as he tried to cool his growing rage.

Not so long ago, Peter would have thought this was the coolest thing ever.

_Now, his idea of 'the coolest thing ever' was bringing Tony Stark back from the dead._

Besides, this was extremely terrifying to watch. Even Clint seemed afraid, as he stood as protectively as he could in front of Peter- holding his drawn bow in front of him, prepared to fight if he was needed. A focused expression masking the fear blatantly hiding behind his eyes.

Peter realised that the last time the archer had been here was also truly unpleasant. He probably hated the skull just as much as Mr Rogers did.

"You- I should have killed you long ago." The skull spoke, hatred evident in his deathly voice. As he stumbled up again, only to be knocked back even further.

"I thought that's what I did to you." Steve replied darkly; his face showing his clear frustration and anger. His teeth gritted as he tried his hardest to hold back.

"You failed, Rogers... just like you failed everyone else- like you failed your comrades." The Skull stood up, shakily and yet equally persistently; a smirk slowly forming on his stony face. "Your allies; the Vision, Stark, Romanoff... Barnes. Every one of them died because of you."

Steve's eyes seemed empty as Peter and Clint watched him in tense silence- genuinly scared of his behaviour. Peter realised that Steve had found out that everything he'd known for the past 90 years had been a lie. He was hurt and shocked. Peter couldn't imagine how crushing that felt for the super soldier. 

"Hydra prevailed, Rogers. You failed. You can't escape us- Barnes was under our command longer than you can imagine."

And then, out of nowhere, Steve Rogers snapped.

He scowled at his opponent, his face showing his pure unadulterated rage, as he launched the hammer at the skull with enough force to kill. By his expression, it was clear that he intended to. Mjolnir flew forcefully straight towards Red Skull, slamming into his face in less than a second. The skull yelled out sharply in pain, his hollow eyes closing instantly, his breath quieting down, slowing down from a raspy pant.

"Scum like you deserve to rot in hell." He hissed between pants as he watched the Skull's body fall to the ground.

A cold silence instantly filled the air around them, as Steve crossed the shirt distance between him and the Red Skull, before picking up the discarded hammer- his face tired from the fight. 

"I keep forgetting how powerful that hammer is." He eventually said dryly, lacking any real humour.

"Steve, you took it too far." Clint's voice pierced the tense silence. "We need him alive, he's the only one who knows how we can do this."

_If anyone even knows at all,_ Peter thought numbly. But he didn't voice his thoughts aloud. They had enough doubt and worry already.

Steve sighed, "You're right Barton. I shouldn't have gotten carried away. It's only because-"

"-I know." Clint cut in, "Don't forget I lost my best friend because of that asshole. I understand."

"He deserved it, Mr Rogers. You did what you had to." Peter added as motivationally as he could muster at that point in time. Steve needed any hope he could get- he probably already felt so destroyed by the world.

The soldier lowered his body next to the skull's, and a small smile- not really full of any happiness; crept its way onto his face. "He's still breathing."

Clint and Peter both let out a sigh of relief. They still had a chance to do this. Hope wasn't extinct just yet.

"So what now?" Shrugged Clint.

"We get answers."

\- - > -

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for the skull to recover after being battered about and utterly annihilated by Mjolnir. But he was technically undead anyway, so Peter supposed that was normal for him.

His dark eyes open, and his voice had been reduced to a choked, painful sounding whisper. "You... why did you even come here? You can't change things. _You can't bring them back._ " he spat, faintly smirking at the annoyed expression ever present on Steve's face.

"We have the stone." Muttered Clint. "You took something of ours in exchange for it. Bring her back."

The Skull rolled over from his back, as he crept up into a standing position; cackling like a madman. "I'm afraid it won't work that easily gentlemen. You travelled here in vain." Having made his way back onto his feet, he looked down at them, evilly. "A sacrifice is a sacrifice."

"That's not right-" Peter spoke before he could stop himself- as bravely as he could. "We know that stone is different- it- it's not the same as the others.

"That's right." Steve continued firmly. "We know it has powers over death. That's why Thanos needed it." He grimaced at the mention of the mad titan, "You will tell us how to use it so we can bring her back- so we can bring them both back."

The skull continued to smirk distantly, "It's gone from her to _them_ now, has it? You only sacrificed one soul here."

"But we're saving two people." Clint added. "If that stone gives us power over death then we're not leaving until you tell us how, and we bring them home."

"I'm not obliged to tell you anything." Scowled the skull. "You needn't bother trying to save people. Just accept that they're gone."

"We won't do that if there's a chance we can save them." Steve muttered. "Now tell us how we can use the stone, or we'll make you regret everything you've ever done."

"Yeah buddy, you better start talking straight or Steve's gonna have to go for round two." Clint added.

The skull frowned, clearly seeing that the trio weren't so willing to give up as he had hoped. Steve clearly overpowered him with Mjolnir. 

His response was almost deathly quiet; Peter felt he likely wouldn't have heard at all if it weren't for his super-hearing.

"...To enter the stone, you have to be one with the stone..."

Clint and Steve's expressions were blank. They hadn't heard it at all. "What-?" Clint said angrily, "You're gonna have to speak louder buddy, or God help me-"

"You have to be one with the stone?" Peter voiced his confusion quietly, "What does that even mean?"

"One with the stone?" Clint echoed. "What in the actual shit-"

"Clint, calm down." Steve muttered, in a voice far more reserved than earlier. His mind working as he tried to decipher what the skull had meant.

_One with the stone... wait... could that mean...?_

"Like you're one to talk Mr _'Scum like you deserve to rot in hell-'"_

_"-The decimation." The words fell out of Peter's mouth suddenly, cutting Steve and Clint's short-lived arguement in half._

_"What's that, kiddo?" Clint said, his tone entirely different to his bickering a moment ago._

_"When Thanos... Snapped... Half of us died- except we didn't really die did we-?" Peter worked through his jumbled thoughts, trying to come closer to the answer. "That's what the soulstone did right? It didn't kill us, it just brought us there."_

_"And that means..." Steve continued evenly, "... The half that died; you all became 'one with the stone.'"_

_"That's- right. That's it I think-" Peter nodded hastily, "So to go back- you have to have- uh, have already been there."_

_The Skull's ominous voice spoke up again, "The child has figured it out. In order to enter the stone, you must have been sent there before- or in other words, died in your 'decimation' so to speak."_

_"That sounds really dodgy man. I don't buy it." Clint argued. "Are you saying Peter's the only one here who can save them?"_

_"That is correct." The skull said slyly. "Reversing death itself is not a simple concept. Of course there are trials to be overcome."_

_"There has to be another way." Steve persisted. "Like hell we're risking losing the kid after he's only just come back."_

_"There is no other way." Red Skull glared coldly into Steve's eyes. "For all matters regarding the soulstone, you can trust me."_

_"Alright. So what you're saying is everyone who died five years ago can _enter_ the stone?"_

_"That's correct."_

_"So it's impossible for Rogers and I to save them-?" Clint asked slowly._

_"You're catching on. Out of the three of you, only the boy can enter."_

_"Jesus..." Clint sighed under his breath. "That actually sucks."_

_Steve placed a hand on his face, sighing in defeat. "Then I guess we're stumped."_

_"Mr Rogers-" Peter tried to have his voice heard over the conversation before him, but his efforts were unheard._

_The Skull nodded. "If you aren't willing to let the child try then we're simply wasting each other's time."_

_Clint sighed. "I say we leave and go get someone like Wanda or Bucky who can do it."_

_"Clint, I-" Peter tried to interrupt again but apparently the world was completely against him being heard._

_"We'll be back." Steve said, shooting a final glare towards the Skull before turning around and starting to make his way back down the mountain._

_\- - - >_

_"WAIT-"_

_Peter hadn't meant to yell, or anything- but he had an opportunity to take and he refused to let it slip by without a fight. The others spun round to look at him, a heavy silence falling upon them._

_"We're not sending you in there, Peter." Steve said firmly. "It's too risky. Nobody else is dying on my watch."_

_"Yeah, buddy." Clint shot him a slight reassuring smile. "Stark would have my neck if he knew I let you try something like this."_

_The way Peter flinched at the mention of his mentor didn't go unnoticed by the Skull, still standing ominously. "The child wants to do this. I say you let him."_

_"No."_

_"Mr Rogers- no offence but, he- uh, he is right. It's my decision." Peter hated to agree with the Red Skull, but he wasn't wrong. And if he had a chance to bring Mr Stark back, this was definitely it_

_"It's too risky, Peter. I can't let you do this." Steve shook his head sternly._

_"Please." Peter tried. "At least let me try- sir. I promised I'd do this." He ignored the tears building up behind his vision. He was strong._

_Steve opened his mouth, about to refuse again, but Clint spoke up first. "I say give him this chance, Rogers. What's the worst that could happen? We'll be right here. Quit being such a wet blanket."_

_It was always nice to have someone on his side. Peter quickly shot Clint a grateful look who simply shrugged as though to say 'don"t sweat it.'_

_Steve let out a rather exasperated sigh. "It doesn't feel morally right-"_

_Peter stood as firmly as he could, as he stared straight into the soldier's eyes. "I owe it to them. You said it yourself, if we find a chance we have to take it."_

_Steve gave him a look, but it lacked any real heat, and a ghost of a smile slowly formed on his lips. "Alright kid. I knew you got heart. Just be careful. I'm not losing another friend because of a lapse in judgement."_

_Peter liked the warm feeling he felt in his body when the supersoldier referred to him as a friend. _It's always nice to have people on his side.__

_Steve continued to address him seriously; "Peter, if you want to do this, I won't stop you. But if you can't save them, don't feel bad about it. We'll find another way."_

_"So... I take it you've come to a decision." The skull's voice cut into the warmer atmosphere. Peter forgot he was even there- the guy seemed to have a way of fading into an area like a ghost._

_Well. He was basically dead, to be fair._

_"T-that's right." Peter spoke as evenly as he could, failing horribly to hide his growing nerves. "I'm doing it."_

_The Skull nodded. "Very well." He turned to Rogers, "Captain, if you would, the stone."_

_Steve wordlessly took the stone from his person and handed it to the demon, his movements short and precise._

_The Red Skull's cruel smile was replaced by a more serious sort of expression as he seemed to mutter something towards the stone. It fell from his grasp, and was surrounded by an orange glow about a hundred times it's original size._

_"The stone will allow you to enter by setting foot inside the glow." The Skull addressed Peter calmly._

_Steve glared heavily at the Stone's guardian. "You try anything, and we won't hesitate to show you a world of pain."_

_"I wouldn't dream of it." The skull cackled. "Mr fate lies with the stone. My purpose is only to guide others; to lie would be a mere waste of my time."_

_Peter ignored the way his body shook as he carefully made his way towards the stone. It was now or never- any moment now he'd have Mr Stark back._

_That was the plan anyway. And it would work- they couldn't possibly fail, not after already getting this far._

_"Be careful, Pete." Clint said as Peter was about to enter the orange glow._

_"I'll bring them back." Peter felt a strange sort of confidence grow inside of him. He supposed it was the adrenaline- not an unfamiliar feeling before an important battle. It was a nice feeling, even though it was a little scary._

_"I know you will, kiddo." Clint smiled._

_"Good luck, Queens. You'll do us all proud." Steve nodded from next to Clint._

_Peter smiled at the both of them before crossing the ground that separated him from the stone. The closer he got, the more twisted and warped his surroundings seemed to become._

_This was it._

_"Death is a peculiar thing. Mess with her, and you mess with your fate. Don't forget that." The Red Skull's venomous voice was the last thing he heard before Peter's entire world was enveloped around him around him. Everything seemed to blur, and he felt the stone consume him._

_When he came to, all he could see was orange._

_He'd made it. This was the soul stone._

_**To be continued.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on Instagram --> @aveggies_assemble
> 
> Next chapter's gonna take place in the soul stone- and the good news is that I've almost finished writing it!
> 
> Please tell me your thoughts in the comments. I hope I did Steve and Red Skull's showdown the justice it deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> We're gonna make things better kids, hang in there


End file.
